Obama is the new Kennedy?

President-elect Obama is being likened to Kennedy. So, I will now christen this new presidency as the Gag Me With a Spoon presidency. GMWAS, or if you're going to say it, "gemwahs." The GMWAS is kind of a step up from the awkward My Eyes Are Permanenty Rolled Up or "meapru" that I used to use....

Anyway.

Let's hope Obama's the "new and improved" Kennedy, because despite what people want to believe, the guy wasn't a great president. In fact, I bet his techniques, like say, nuclear brinksmanship with the then USSR, i.e. the Cuban Missile Crisis, would be pilloried today; Murtha, Kerry, Pelosi, the world would loathe him. The Cuban Missile Crisis has been seen as a success, but credit should be given somewhat to Kruschev for having a level head. Further to that, it appears there may have been a deal to withdraw US missles from Turkey if the USSR withdrew same from Cuba. In any case, Kennedy was seen as a hero. It was, as Schessinger wrote, "...the ripening of American leadership unsurpassed in the responsible management of power..." Gag me.

But let's explore some of Kennedy's other successes, shall we? There was the Bay of Pigs, that was a good one. How about getting us into Vietnam? Excellent! Ousting a democratically elected government in Guyana (British Guiana back then)? Great idea!

So let's hope.

I want to believe, but it's hard.